The Yeni Akit daily, known for its hardline views on Turkish foreign policy, printed a photo-shopped picture of Merkel with a Hitler moustache, swastika arm band and belt diagonally across her chest in the style of Nazi militia.

“We are very worried by this mentality,” it said.

Its front page came as European Union President Donald Tusk and European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker were to meet Erdogan at the Bulgarian Black Sea resort of Varna in a bid to mend ties with Turkey and the EU.

Ankara has been infuriated by a statement from EU leaders condemning Turkey’s “illegal actions” towards Greece and Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea.

Turkey’s controversial President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sparked mockery and condemnation by defending new powers he wants to give himself as being similar to Adolf Hitler’s.

In a statement that surprised even his critics, Mr Erdogan responded to arguments that putting political power in the hands of the presidency would not work in a “unitary state”.He said there were other examples of its being successful. “There are already examples in the world,” he said.“You can see it when you look at Hitler’s Germany. There are later examples in various other countries.”

Coincidentally, the choice of Varna as the venue for a meeting between the Polish EU President and the Turkish President to try to resurrect Turkey’s quest for the EU membership is somewhat ironic, seeing that in 1444 it was the site of a battle where Polish crusaders, including King Wladislaw, were annihilated while trying to stop the Ottoman expansion into Europe.

As Politico.eu writes, “Prospect of breathing new life into Turkey’s bid for EU membership remains as remote as ever.” Good.